1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to decorative trim strips, and more particularly to a trim strip adapted for use along the edges and around the corners of a truck cap or the like to provide ornamentation and to protect the edge of the truck cap against minor damage such as scratching or pitting and to cover fasteners used to connect the trim strip to the truck cap.
2. Description of Related Art
Trim strips of various constructions have previously been provided for installation along the edge or panel of a motor vehicle for the dual purpose of protecting the edge or panel from damage and for a decorative effect. As for trim strips for the edge of truck caps, the current practice is to use a two-piece construction where the base piece that sits on the top railing of the truck bed is made of aluminum and a top piece made of polyvinyl chloride or a similar material is attached to the base piece. Holes are pre-drilled in the aluminum base piece to match up with the truck bed and the aluminum piece is then bent around the corner of the bed and screwed into the truck cap. The top piece made of polyvinyl chloride or the like is then attached to the base piece bending it into an overhang on the aluminum base so that the screws are not visible.
There are numerous disadvantages with this design. First of all, the trim strip must be bent around the corner of the truck bed and the aluminum base piece is hard to bend. Secondly, this aluminum piece tends to scratch easily, thus detracting from its decorative function. Thirdly, attaching the aluminum piece to the truck is a two-step process: holes must be pre-drilled in the aluminum base piece to match up with the bed (e.g., self-tapping screws cannot be used) and the aluminum piece must then be drilled onto the truck cap. Finally, using aluminum for the base piece requires an inventory of many different sizes of aluminum stock because different size aluminum pieces are used for different size truck beds. Also, the top piece has a tendency to come loose from the aluminum base piece because there is nothing to secure the top piece into the base piece.